Is it Time to End the Brand Extension?

[DeadmanFan]

After reading some posts in the TV Title thread, it got me thinking.

Since 2007 all pay-per-views have been dual branded. RAW and Smackdown guys routinely appear on the other show whereas before such a thing was a very rare occurrence. Before the only time the rosters would interact would be at the Big Four PPVs and other rare occurrences. The trend is that titles are being unified. Right now it seems the roster split is only a little bit more than a mere formality.

So should the brand extension end completely? It would certainly open the door to new story lines and feuds, and keeping things more fresh instead of the same guys going at it until at least the next draft. More guys would have more competition to showcase their skills against. The tag division would especially benefit (some main eventers or upper mid-carders could easily form a team and go after them, bringing the prestige of the tag titles back), and the mid card belt would have some meaning again, though there would probably have to be an upper mid-card belt like the IC title for guys that are verging on main event status as well as guys cooling off from the main event scene (which could also serve to help push the upper mid-carders), and a lower mid-card belt like a TV title or a specialized belt like the Cruiserweight to give the other guys not in the IC title scene something to chase.

I think it would bring a lot more variety to the shows and can lead to better, more intriguing story lines. Back in the Attitude Era you constantly wanted Smackdown to come on after RAW ended to see what would happen next, and then RAW to come on after Smackdown, which all led up to a good PPV. The Brand Extension cripples that in some ways, and especially did when it was more stringent. IMO the Brand Extension has outlived its usefulness, there's not an overabundance of talent like there used to be when it started.

Anyway, what are your thoughts on the matter?

 

[FSWWE]

No, Brand extension, is one of the things that make me watch WWE!!
There are people that like to watch more RAW, others that like SD! (me)

I like the part of having two world tittles, two mid-card tittles, one women and i used to like the tag tittles, now its just lame with only one championship!

Talking about the part that there are no feud left, and they have to wait for the Draft is false!!

Past week, Ted Dibiase got drafted to SD! withouth anyone know!
They are up to something with him, or else he will stayed in RAW as almost a jobber (at least jobbers win sometimes)!

The concept of having SmackDown is so good, that they let this continue to 600th episode, and with that they have ratings, merchandise and a way to build up superstars to the main show (RAW )!!

If they ended, are you waiting to see
RAW twice a WEEK? That doesnt make any sense, they would stayed like TNA and we all know TNA is bad, first because the name TNA XD second because they have one only main show (i guess, i really dont watch TNA at all) !!

also the video game that make vince a lot of money is better if they have extensions!
But im curious to read another replies!!

 

[CleverName51]

If the brand extension ended, where would the lower card guys go? 2 Rosters allow for the lower card guys to get some action in. If you combine both sets of main eventers, some would drop back to the midcard, pushing more people down.

So, NO, the Brand Extension should not end as it would kill pushes.

 

[Mindshatter]

No, Brand extension, is one of the things that make me watch WWE!!
There are people that like to watch more RAW, others that like SD! (me)

I like the part of having two world tittles, two mid-card tittles, one women and i used to like the tag tittles, now its just lame with only one championship!

Talking about the part that there are no feud left, and they have to wait for the Draft is false!!

Past week, Ted Dibiase got drafted to SD! withouth anyone know!
They are up to something with him, or else he will stayed in RAW as almost a jobber (at least jobbers win sometimes)!

The concept of having SmackDown is so good, that they let this continue to 600th episode, and with that they have ratings, merchandise and a way to build up superstars to the main show (RAW )!!

If they ended, are you waiting to see
RAW twice a WEEK? That doesnt make any sense, they would stayed like TNA and we all know TNA is bad, first because the name TNA XD second because they have one only main show (i guess, i really dont watch TNA at all) !!

also the video game that make vince a lot of money is better if they have extensions!
But im curious to read another replies!!

Well Raw and Smackdown would still be there but it would just enable superstars to be on both shows rather than just one in most cases.

 

[poppycock]

Yes, I think it is time to end it. I have never really liked the idea and it seems even more pointless now than ever. May aswell make Smackdown WCW Nitro..just like the stupid waterd down ECW they had going on a while back, when really it's all just WWE and it does not need to compete with itself. I also liked it when both shows were continuations of the other.

 

[vampirek]

If the brand extension ended, where would the lower card guys go? 2 Rosters allow for the lower card guys to get some action in. If you combine both sets of main eventers, some would drop back to the midcard, pushing more people down.

So, NO, the Brand Extension should not end as it would kill pushes.

The same way they did before the Brand Extension, this was only created due to the sheer amount of talent the WWE had at the end of the Invasion angle. In today's WWE where is this talent? Too much of it is rushed through to create new headliners who simply arent ready. The lower card get action on a Brand Extension!?, have you not seen with has happened to guys like Chavo, Ryder etc the Brand Extension has not pushed them up at all.

By having one brand, you can focus on one title per division, which can lead to more exciting matches and more build up than we currently have. You can still have split in some ways, those who are in the lower card may only work Smackdowns for example and the rest Raw, to fill in slots built around the storylines.

However this doesn't solve the problem of the lazy and dull creative team, but it can help if the two teams just became one.

 

[DeadmanFan]

If the brand extension ended, where would the lower card guys go? 2 Rosters allow for the lower card guys to get some action in. If you combine both sets of main eventers, some would drop back to the midcard, pushing more people down.

So, NO, the Brand Extension should not end as it would kill pushes.

This problem would be solved by having two stepping stone belts. The IC title for the upper mid-carders and a TV title or specialized title like the Cruiserweight for the lower carders to go after.

We'd get much better story lines and buildup this way.

 

[deforty]

No, keep it the way it is. The 2 main titles for each show. I would personally like to see another sort of Brand war in the fact that they compete against each other, but not every PPV. I would like to see for example. IF Miz or Cena wins to and open challenge with the smackdown champ edge or del rio. They have a series of matches with various people not each other but the same people, like for round one each of them faces, Rey, the next one is Kane and so on do this for like a best of seven with each of them losing a few but neither of them having the upper hand as to who is the better champion with them finally having a match at a ppv. Do the same with us and ic title. This would also help put over some of the younger guys if they can score a win over say Edge, Cena or whomever has the titles. They should also make respectable Tag teams on both shows and have the champions on both shows quite frequently, they can do this with the diva's championship also.

This will keep them separate but will also make it a little more interesting in the process.

I mean i like two separate shows with different people and the occasional appearance by others on the shows, but if they stop it I am afraid it will be like it was before or worse like thunder was, where we will get Cena on every show and he will be working more than he ever has, thus creating more opportunities to get injured. The two separate shows allows the wrestlers to work less and keeps them healthier, i know they can't stop all injuries but this can keep it that way.

 

[Avitus25]

See, this is quite a difficult one. I understand where people are coming from when they say that the Brand Extension isn't really serving much purpose. When it started it was quite a good idea, the writers worked hard to get some sort of individual identity for the two shows, but now they've just become basically one and the same. I can't see that there would be much difference if the brand extention ended.

If the brand extension ended, where would the lower card guys go? 2 Rosters allow for the lower card guys to get some action in. If you combine both sets of main eventers, some would drop back to the midcard, pushing more people down.

So, NO, the Brand Extension should not end as it would kill pushes.

This is the major point for me. Most of the IWC (myself included) moan about how there are loads of underutilised lower card talent that we really want to see pushed, but that haven't got the chance to get on TV. If the brand extension ended, then it'd just be the main guys on every show, and the few lower card guys who manage to get on TV at the minute would fade away.

To be honest, I think it's very difficult to make a judgment based on the effect on the lower card stars without seeing what the effect of Superstars being cancelled is. I reckon that there'll be a lot fewer people lower card people as it is, and cuts wouldnt' surprise me at all. If these things do happen, then they may as well end the brand extension, because the only problem wouldn't exist any more. I wish that the brand extension was just stuck to, and that they actually took it seriously, because it COULD keep things fresh and interesting come draft time etc.

 

[risephoenixrise]

There is no going back. Two brands are still not enough, as there have been hundreds of wrestlers come and gone, never benefiting from the brand extension since it began nearly a decade ago. We need two brands. Shoot, we needed even a third brand, but they didn't want to make the most out of ECW. The fact that they can't make the most of their roster, and releasing guys like Elijah Burke, Colt Cabana, or even established stars like Shelton Benjamin... Having only one show would destroy so many careers, as WWE didn't know what to do with THREE brands.

 

[Lucha-Libre is wrestling]

I always loved the idea of the brand vs brand, but not as RAW VS SD. Before Brand VS Brand, Raw and SD were just shows like Superstars and past shows. I never understood why VKM never used the names of AWA, WCCW, WCW or ECW as separate shows and not destroy them like he did with ECW. VKM has 77 active wrestlers on Raw, Superstars and SD and about 53 wrestlers at FCW for a total of 130 wrestlers. The only logical reason I see for WWE not remaking shows like Thunder and Nitro is that they are waiting for WWE TV Channel to start and have a wrestling shows on Monday - Sunday. I wouldn't mind seen the fallowing:
1. Mon. - Raw ( WWE ) 2 hrs
2. Tue. - Heat ( ECW ) 1 hr
3. Wed. - Nitro ( WCW) 2 hrs
4. Thur. - Superstars ( AWA ) 1 hr
5. Fri. - SD ( WWE ) 2 hrs
6. Sat. - Thunder ( WCW ) 1 hr
7. Sun. - Main Event ( ECW & AWA ) 1 hr

 

[Yarns 3:16]

As a total mark for the Attitude Era, I associate the brand extension with a lot of dull scenarios (The end of the attitude era for a start, the end of the wwf and the beginning of the wwe to name but a few) thus I would certainly be in favour of a reformation. I think a reuniting would open up a whole host of opportunities that haven't really been able to be explored in recent years and enable us to think that nigh on anything could happen pertaining to potential feuds and storylines evolving. Obviously a few problems would have to be ironed out as it would mean a hell of a lot more travel for the superstars going from city to city on mondays and tuesdays and fears over exhaustion, though it never seemed to have too much of an adverse affect on the stars in the attitude era so it shouldnt be too much of a problem.

Another reason why I feel they should end the extension is because I personally feel that having 2 world championships is detrimental to the credibility of those championships (though having a spinner bling bling pile of shit belt seems to do that too!) and I think unifying the titles would serve to restore a bit of that credibility and you would get a lot less meaningless title reigns as well. Having 2 titles only really made sense in the invasion angle in my opinion and then should have just gone back to being the 'wwf world heavyweight championship' like it always had been before. Having 1 title means whoever is holding it is the top guy, he is the best and as Ric Flair would have it put... he is the man.

 

[poppycock]

The only way I would like the Brand wars to stay is if they actually go the full hog and really make Raw and Smackdown seem like two seperate companies almost. I don't feel that right now so that is why I don't see the point in having them seperate and not just merging them. Like sombody said maybe use the WCW brandname.. WCW Smackdown? or rename it alltogether and call it Nitro or Thunder. Also if they are going to keep the two Heavyweight Titles they may aswell rename them 'Raw Heavyweight Champion" and "Smackdown Champion"..the fact that there are two main titles already devalues the WWE Championship in my opinion so renaming it can't do much more harm. I would actually hate what I just wrote to happen but if they are going to keep the two Brands seperate I would like a new fresh purpose because I think it's got a bit silly and stale.

 

[Adalam]

People who are saying that Brand Extension needs to end should test this on Total Extreme Warfare/Wrestling by Adam Ryland and Grey Dog Software. You'll find out real quick just how hard it is to run the WWE without Brand Extension. I had to cut about half my talent due to not being able to work them into any of my shows. With Brand Extension, I can easily fit more guys in the shows and even develop low card feuds that churn out potential Main Eventers, like before and/or during the Attitude Era.

 

[My Couch Pulls Out But I Don't]

For those that say that if the Brand extension was ended, the travel for the superstars would increase, you are pretty much wrong. The travel would be about the same.

Instead of a RAW guy going to Raw, then traveling to a house show the rest of the week, he would go to RAW, travel to the SD tapings, then to house shows.

Either way, the travel wouldn't change, just the show they are travelling to would.

 

[EastCoastFan]

The only way the brand extension will end is if Raw or Smackdown gets cancelled, and I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Besides, if you end the brand extension (which a lot of people wanted to do in 2002-03), half the WWE roster will get cut. It would also mean even more John Cena every week, and if you're not a fan of his, you will be even more sick of him than you already are.

 

[chipandcheese58]

Ending the brand extension is the only way to get better ratings on sci-fi. I also agree with original poster that it would make for better story lines and fresher feuds and a better tag division. We've never seen a Sheamus vs Undertaker, a Miz vs Undertaker, a Wade Barrett vs. Triple H, so on and so forth. Having a brand split makes it near impossible for this to happen, and let's face it a lot of the big dogs are on the way out. The brand extension was a great idea when there was 16 main eventers at the time. Not the case now. John Cena was in almost every main event in 2010. Having young superstars on both shows would help build them faster and allow for new main eventers to rise.

 

[FSWWE]

Since when is Ted DiBiase drafted to SD?

Since last friday, he fought against Rey Misteryo and his name appeared in a SmackDown plate... But another example is Barret, the guy just appeared on SmackDown! withouth further notice.

I mean when RAW superstars go to SD! they appeared with the original plate, like Sheamus did last week... So i am assuming that Ted Dibiase is now part of the SD! Roster, even if his name isnt in WWE.com yet!

Now back to topic again!!
How do you book Fridays?
With another RAW episode?? Having a bunch of tittles like CruiserWheight, TV Champ, Diva Tag Team isnt a thing about WWE, thats why WWE is the main pro-wrestling show EVER!!

They may need a re-construction, but anything about destroying the Brand Extension, they dont really need to be Brand vs Brand, thats not the point...
Maybe at the beggining it was, but i dont want to see Bragging Rights all the year, breaking WWE apart is a bad bad idea!!

I bet everyone that agree now, was going back to his word after!!
If they do that, guys like Bryan, JoMo, McIntyre was never going to be world champ, and they only was using one show, that is not profitable, to anyone, neither for us, that like to see pro-wrestling (i dont watch sd! at fridays, i download SD! at Saturday and see it for the morning every week) neither for the Wrestlers, that see that this industry is very very difficult to go anywhere and neither for the wwe non-wrestlers employes that gain his life with everything about WWE (VKM)!!

Finishing brand extension, is going back and not further! I now that some of you really miss WCW and WWF, but that thing as to evolve and we have to accept that!
They always do sometinhg different that we want to see, like The Miz as WWE champ,, i remember when everybody used to want him to win, and now that he won, people are always talking thrash!
We are never satisfied, but they always do what IWC wants!!

i hope you understand what im trying to say, i know that there are a lot of errors, but im sorry, im not english :S

 

[blkshp]

I think you keep the brand extension, but unify the titles. While most people believe RAW would end up with all of the legit title feuds, I don't think Vince could allow it because Syfy invested a load of cash into Smackdown. I think the titles would be held in higher regard if there were fewer ones, and it would force the creative team to develop storylines without titles for mid-carders.

 

[risephoenixrise]

I think you keep the brand extension, but unify the titles./QUOTE]

They had that idea when they had the WWE Undisputed Heavyweight Championship. And they dropped it. It made the shows interesting to see one world champion travel from show to show. It also made their champions look important.

I am not sure, but I think Triple H is to blame for this one. Brock Lesnar was the Undisputed champion, and they decided to keep him exclusively on SmackDown. Guess who was booked to be the RAW World Champion?

 

[Rckstrtmmy]

Yes the WWE needs to stop the brand extension! They are already too watered down for their own good right now. WWE needs to combine the brands to make for some fresh matchups, lower the amount of titles so they could bring some prestige back to the ones they keep, and having the shows combined would allow them to combine angles and have more time for some actual wrestling on their god damned shows. Top stars are at a minimum right now and yes it might stall some pushes, but the WWE would be better off in the long run. I don't think it will happen because they have the house shows split and it allows the WWE to make more money but I think overall it will greatly help the product that is put on TV.

 

[Mr.MainEvent]

I don't know. There's already guys like Swagger, McIntyre, Di Biase and a few others who haven't been doing a fat lot recently and thats WITH two brands. I think if you make it all one show, your roster looks like this;

Main Event:
Cena, Orton, Triple H, Punk, Taker, Miz, Edge, Del Rio.

Mid Card:
Sheamus, Barrett, Kofi, Jomo, Christian, Ziggler, Danielson, Big Show, Kane, Swagger, McIntyre, Mysterio, Rhodes, DiBiase, The Corre, R-Truth.

Lower Card:
Santino and the Divas, anyone appearing on Superstars of late, etc.

Point is, HOW do you fit all that talent into a 2 hour show? When you already have guys not doing anything of any great significance with two seperate brands. The idea for more competition is great but face it, ending the split means even MORE guys are going to be put further down the card. And in some cases, dissapear entirely.

I've never been a fan of having two World Champions though, I liked the idea of one out and out undisputed Champion.

 

[Why Always Me]

YES YES YES YES YES!!!

The Brand Extension was a good idea when it was introduced due to the amount of superstars after the acquisition of WCW and ECW, without it you probably would not have the likes of Orton, Miz and Cena.

But now its run its course, it’s time to unify titles and bring the rosters back together.

Here is how I would like to see things.

Titles

WWE Title
Intercontinental
Tag Team
TV or US (basically the modern day European Title)
Cruiserweight
Women’s

Shows

Monday - Raw (Live) - 2 and a half hours
Tuesday - Superstars - 1 hour
Thursday - Smackdown (Live) 2 and a half hours
Friday - Velocity - 1 hour
Saturday before a PPV - Saturday Night Main Event (Live) - 2 hours
Sunday before PPV - Heat - 1 hour right before the PPV

Superstars and velocity could feature Cruiserweight, TV/US, IC and Tag team title matches with the occasional appearance from a main eventer (Superstars would be taped before Raw and Velocity before Smackdown, so say if John Cena wasn't wrestling on Raw, he could wrestle on Superstars then do his promo on Raw). Saturday Night Main event before a PPV would give more time for main feuds to develop and having Sunday Night Heat free before a PPV could be an extra way to get more buys.

But back on topic, ending the brand split instantly gives talent more exposure. I don't believe the roster would be too crowded, not everybody needs to appear on both Raw and Smackdown, that’s where Superstars and Velocity come in. Titles also gain more credibility due to the unification. Last September there was a rumour that this was going to happen, but alas it came to nothing

 

[rge2010]

Here is how I would like to see things.

Titles

WWE Title
Intercontinental
Tag Team
TV or US (basically the modern day European Title)
Cruiserweight
Women’s

Shows

Monday - Raw (Live) - 2 and a half hours
Tuesday - Superstars - 1 hour
Thursday - Smackdown (Live) 2 and a half hours
Friday - Velocity - 1 hour
Saturday before a PPV - Saturday Night Main Event (Live) - 2 hours
Sunday before PPV - Heat - 1 hour right before the PPV

Thats wishful thinking but it just wouldnt work.

Titles - WWE currently has 2 seperate brands and has ALL them titles already apart from the missing WHW Title in your list. WWE cant even be bothered with the IC, US, Tag Titles on 2 brands never mind on one brand!

Superstars has just been cancelled because there is no interest, yet you want to start up Velocity and Heat? It is plain to see there is absolutely no room for 'C'....no wait 'D' shows in WWE. Especially 2. Adding these, AND SNME is just way too much wrestling - for the fans and the superstars. Information overload...and it would dilute viewership of other shows.

As for Smackdown going 'live' it wont happen, unless they move it to Tuesday nights because it just costs to much to show it 'live' 2/3 days after Raw. The set sitting in the arena for 2/3 days untouched, transport costs to the next venue, talent having to stay in that particular Town 2/3 extra days and so on.

Personally I would help keep it as it is. Smackdown is a great way to build/make superstars and give them exposure. Then move them across to Raw and see how the role. John Cena is a prime example of this. Without the brand extension, Cena may not of gotten his big break - he made his name on Smackdown! Also, Del Rio would be caught in the mid card shuffle had their only being 1 show.

I think the programming is fine just as it is. You want to make the show better and make Superstars mean something to you, then make the Tag/IC/US belt mean something. The roster is too large and has too much talent for 1 brand. Then again, maybe it doesn't have enough talent for 2 brands.

 

[Clem]

The brand extension made sense back in 2002 when it came into being. WCW had just gone out of business, the roster was bloated from everyone they'd taken on for the Invasion angle and there were no genuine rivalries left for the WWE. Cutting the roster in two between shows was just common sense.

However, in this day and age, all the big name stars have left, the rosters have been diluted with lesser talents, there are so many titles none of them mean anything and wrestlers jump between brands as frequently as they change into ring attire ie it means nothing anymore.

Right now the WWE is in crisis, whether they choose to acknowledge it or not. Their rosters are getting weaker with every passing show and the attempts to top them up are increasingly desperate (NXT? Tough Enough? Good luck). They genuinely can't afford to continue the brand extension if they want to remain the top dog of the wrestling business (not that they'd ever call themselves such a thing) and if the budget cuts coming into effect after Wrestlemania are anything to go by, there will be even LESS talent to go around.

Vince, you already have a genuine rival in TNA, stop trying to create your own.